Learning to Dream
by MegaStriks
Summary: A heart-wrenching story about a girl,  Shasha  who falls for a boy, Jesse  who might be too mysterious. Will the questions pull them apart?
1. New Boy

New Boy

I sat down at the lunch table. My best friend, Lisa, sat next to me. She was carrying a tray loaded with macaroni, hot dogs, and candy. Lisa somehow stayed skinny even though she ate like this every day. If I had any candy, I started looking like a balloon.

"You're so lucky that you can eat like that," I said as I moved my tray over to give her more room. I stabbed my salad with my fork.

Lisa shrugged. "It gets boring after a while. And I totally need this stuff, for gym, you know? Energy is what I need, right?"

Lisa was full to the brim with energy. I was more of the dull one. "Do you eat like this at home?"

Lisa laughed and took some one of my tomatoes. "You've been to my house! You know my parents don't care."

I shrugged. "Probably because your parents are cool." I brushed my bright red hair out of my face. It was my trademark.

Lisa looked at me. "Shasha! Your parents are cool!"

I returned her look. "If you think two book obsessives are cool."

"Maybe I do!"

"Do you?"

Lisa played with her brown curls. "Um, not really."

"Hey, who's he?"

I had turned my attention to a new boy who was eating alone in the corner. He had shaggy brown hair and was wearing a leather jacket. The boy looked like he did not want to be bothered. He was casually sitting on the floor, back against the wall.

"Let's go sit with him," I said. I was standing up and walking towards him before Lisa could stop me.

"Sasha," I heard her call from behind me. But I was already only a few feet from him.

"Hi," I said. He glanced up at me and looked back at his food.

"What do you want?"

I sat down next to him so that I wasn't too close, but wasn't too far. "You looked lonely."

"Maybe I want to be alone."

I was shocked by his reply, but I shook it off. "I'm Shasha. What's your name?"

The boy seemed to be warming up. He looked at me, not looking me in the eyes, but not ignoring me either. "Why do you care?"

"You seem interesting. Fun."

He snorted. "Right. That's me. I'm Jesse."

I smiled, proud that I had managed to make conversation. It was then that the bell rang. It was time to go back to class. "I'll see you later, Jesse."

"Yeah, you might."

After school, I ran into Jesse outside. "Hey," I said.

He looked almost happy to see me. "Hey! Shasha, right?"

"Yeah, Shasha."

He smiled at me. "Cool. See you later, Shasha."

"Bye Jesse."

We rode the same bus, but we didn't acknowledge each other for the rest of the day, even though he was sitting across the aisle.

As the bus rolled away, he stared at the bus, like something he really wanted was inside.


	2. The First Sign

The First Sign

Jesse didn't show up the next day after school. Or the next. Or the next. In fact, he didn't show up for the rest of the week. I started to worry.

"What if something happened to him?" I asked, "Like, really happened to him?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Lisa said. We were hanging out in her room. She was stretched out on the bed, half listening to me, half looking at a magazine.

I spun around in the desk chair, looking at her ceiling. "But I am worrying! What if he's dead, for God's sake!"

Lisa looked up and rolled her eyes. "He's not dead, Shasha. I may not know where he is, but he's not dead."

I sighed. "Okay. But still!"

Lisa gave me a look. "You're really falling for him, aren't you?"

I groaned. "I swear, I can't help it. I hardly even know the guy! I hate this!"

Lisa sat up. "Are you kidding? This is great! Dave and I can double date with you two!"

Dave was Lisa's boyfriend. They had been together since eighth grade, so that was two years. She looked lost in dreamland right now. "Lisa! Come on. How am I supposed to get to know him that much? He probably doesn't even know me," I said.

A mischievous grin appeared on Lisa's face. "Oh, he'll know you. Come on. We're going shopping."

At the mall, Lisa pulled me into the cheapest shop. "We're getting you a new wardrobe, so everything has to be pretty cheap," she explained as she handed me two outfits and shooed me off to the dressing rooms.

I shut the dressing room door and changed into the first outfit. It was a green shirt and skinny jeans. The shirt matched my eyes perfectly, and the jeans fit me very well.

"Come and show me," Lisa called from outside. I stepped out. She looked me over from head to toe. "I like it, but it's missing something." She handed me a set of hoops from a nearby jewelry rack. I put them on.

"Perfect," Lisa said. "We're taking these. Go on to the next outfit."

I went back into the dressing room and took off outfit one. Outfit two was a teal sundress, sandals, and sunglasses. I rolled my eyes at Lisa's choices. It wasn't a great choice for September in San Francisco.

I changed and stepped out anyways. Lisa was standing back by the jewelry rack. She held up an ruby necklace. "Hey Shasha! It matches my birthstone. I'm buying it! And you look good, Girlie," she called.

It went on like this for two hours. I ended up buying ten cheap outfits and Lisa bought eleven outfits and a ton of jewelry. "Wow, Lisa, you bought more than me. You must be a real shopaholic," I teased.

She played along with me. "Well, I do love shopping."

I thought I saw someone outside the shop, looking in at us, but he turned away when I looked at him. "One sec," I said. I stepped outside the door and walked over to him.

"Do I know you?" I asked him. He looked up. It was definitely Jesse. "Jesse! Where have you been?"

"I can't see you anymore. We can't be friends. I like you, you like me, but we can't ever see each other again. I'm leaving the school," he said.

"Where will you go?" I asked him, my eyes filling with tears.

"I can't tell you. Bye, Shasha," Jesse said. He kissed me, full on the lips and disappeared, leaving me standing alone to cry.


	3. Jesse

Jesse

"I can't believe he left me," I moaned. Lisa and I were in the car, driving home. She was focused on the road, but she put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Honey. But maybe it was for the best," she offered.

"I doubt it. He liked me! He said it! And I like him!"

"Heartbreak is something you have to deal with in life."

I snorted. "I doubt you've ever experienced this."

Lisa looked at me, then back at the road. "I have, Shasha, and it's not fun. Just don't blow all your anger out at him. Or anyone else, for that matter."

I was crying so hard that I couldn't see a clear image. "Jesse's gone! Gone!"

Lisa pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. "Stop, Shasha! I know this is hard, but you said it yourself! You don't know the damn guy! Stop bring this way! Get into shape!"

I was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," I said. And I was.

"Damn right you are," Lisa said. She turned back onto the road and drove home. No one said anything for the rest of the ride.

That night, I found myself going for a walk. It may not have been a good idea, considering it was a Saturday night and people were partying, but I had lost any sanity that had ever existed in me. Jesse and I were somehow connected. I hadn't met him before, but it felt like we had known each other forever.

I was on trails that lead through the woods. It was almost completely dark, except for the moonlight shining through the trees. My watched beeped. Eleven. My curfew. I kept walking.

Sometimes I saw strange shadows darting around the trees, but I dismissed them as my imagination. They were tall and lean, like a person, which probably wasn't a good sign. But I kept walking.

Sometime around midnight, the paths stopped at a road. They didn't continue on the other side, either. I was at the end of my walk.

I turned around to find myself face to face with someone. "Jesse," I whispered.

"You know, it's not safe to be out here all alone in the middle of the night," he teased.

"Why are you here?"

He sighed. "Thought I'd get some work done before I leave tomorrow."

There was something in his eyes. "You're lying."

He laughed. "Do you really think it's smart to call a mysterious man out in the woods at midnight a lair?"

"Jesse."

He looked at me and found that I was dead serious. "I'm sorry."

"Damn right you are."

He laughed again at my attempt to act tough. "I'd better get back to work, Shasha."

"Exactly what kind of work are you doing?" I asked him.

He tried to turn away. I grabbed his wrist and he groaned in defeat. "I'm . . ." he couldn't think of an answer, so he took me in his arms and kissed me. He released me after about a minute.

"Gotta run, Shasha. See you later." And before I could protest, he was shooting back into the darkness of the forest. I ran after him.

Jesse was fast. He was at least a hundred yards ahead of me, and going faster by the minute. He dodged the nettles and branches easily. I was scratched and stung with each branch. When I got to a fallen tree stump, I finally fell. Jesse looked back and came sprinting towards me. He was by my side in seconds.

"Shasha! Are you okay?" Jesse asked.

I nodded and painfully sat up. "I'm fine, I think."

"Thinking isn't knowing, Shasha."

Jesse was obviously worried about me. I kind of liked it. I stood up and brushed myself off. Jesse stood up next to me and took my hands.

"Let's get you home. Your parents are probably worried," he said.

"They're probably too busy reading a book to notice I'm gone."

"Don't say that."

"It's true."

"Still, it's past your curfew."

I looked at him. "How do you know that?"

Jesse's eyes got big. "Lucky guess."

"Jesse, don't lie to me."

"Who said I was lying?"

"Me."

He laughed again, then looked at me. "Sorry."

"Right."

"Um, Sasha, I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?"

"I thought you were leaving."

Jesse groaned. "Right! Sorry, I can't keep up with all my-"

"Lies?" I finished.

"I was going to say problems."

"Of course you were."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's a maybe," I said. I was playing hard to get.

"Don't play hard to get," Jesse said.

"How did you know that I was thinking that?"

"Um, lucky guess?"

"Of course it was." I was about ready to collapse. It was sometime around one in the morning. I sat on the ground.

I was surprised when I felt Jesse's arms close around me and lift me up. He looked at me. "Problem?"

I yawned. "Just carry me home."

Jesse started to run. We were going super fast, even though I could tell that he wasn't trying at all. I was back home in thirty minutes. Jesse climbed up a tree that lead to my window. He was still holding me, but he opened my window all the way and brought me in.

I was half awake, so I knew that he was gently setting me in bed and tucking the covers around me. He kissed me o my forehead and disappeared into the night, shutting the window behind me.

The last thing I remember wondering is how Jesse knew where I lived.


	4. Date Night

Date Night

When I woke up, Jesse was standing over me. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I held in a scream. He had completely surprised me. "Jesse! Why are you here?"

"You'd better get ready for our date tonight. It's already three in the afternoon. I'm picking you up at five."

"Are you actually making me go through with this?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually I am. Now get up, Shasha."

"Whatever you want your majesty. Can I at least have some privacy to change?"

Jesse headed for the window. "You. Me. Five 'o clock."

"Right. And use the front door!" Jesse was halfway out the window, but I knew he heard me because he laughed.

I took a shower and got dressed in the teal sundress and some leggings under it because it only went to just above my knees. Instead of the sandals, I wore my black converse. I ignored the sunglasses, but I did wear the hoops.

I put my hair in a ponytail because that's how it looks best. It looked sleek and clean. I brushed on my makeup and stepped out of the bathroom. I felt amazing.

By that time, it was four forty five. I sat and read until five. As soon as the clock turned, the doorbell rang. I answered it, but not too soon. I was acting like I was so not desperate.

Jesse was wearing jeans and a plaid button down shirt. He had the top two buttons undone. "You look nice," he said.

"Thanks. So do you," I replied.

Jesse laughed and took my arm. "I'm a guy, I don't care how I look."

"Are you sure? I looks like you spent a lot of time on your appearance."

Jesse rolled his eyes and walked me out of the house. A red convertible was sitting in the driveway. "Don't be sarcastic."

"Wow, is that your car?"

"Yeah, it is. You like it?"

"Yeah, I do. How come I never see it around school?"

Jesse shrugged. He was acting normal, but I could tell I his eyes that he was panicking. "It's um, in the shop a lot."

I got in he passenger seat and he hopped behind the wheel and started the car. I looked at him. He looked not at all nervous, like he had done this before. "Are you hiding something from me, Jess?"

He glanced at me, then looked back at the road. "What do you mean?" I could tell he was up to something, because his voice cracked on the last word.

"You seem mysterious. Too mysterious."

Jesse laughed nervously. "I'm not, I'm really not."

"Jess, you can tell me anything."

"You don't understand, Shasha! I really can't. It would put both of our lives at stake. You're already in too much danger."

"I'm not in danger, Jess!"

"You are, Sasha!"

I crossed my arms. "And what danger is that, exactly?"

"I can't tell you," Jesse mumbled.

We rode the rest of the way in silence. When we got to the restaurant, a fancy French place, Jesse got out first and opened the car door for me. He then opened the restaurant door for me.

We were seated and we ordered. Jesse had the steak, which he ate like a pig. I had baked potato that I just picked at. We talked about school and movies and stuff, but I didn't feel like I had really connected with him any more than we already were.

We had a lot of extra time, so we went to the movie theater to watch a movie. Jesse put his arm around me for the whole time, and he also kissed me at the romantic parts. I was really close to him and we had the armrest up.

Jesse dropped me off at home at about 9:00. I went upstairs and changed, then washed my face. I found my dad sitting in the living room, reading a book. He looked up when I walked in.

"Hi honey. How was your date?" he asked.

"Good. Where's Mom?"

"She said she was getting groceries, but I think she's going to the bookstore."

I walked into the attached kitchen and fixed myself a plate of Oreos and a glass of milk. Then I went and sat down on the couch. "What book is that?"

"It's a wonderful love story about a girl named Sarah who falls in love with a boy named John, who turns out to be a monster, but she still loves him more than anything else in the world."

"Dad, are you trying to tell me something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Sarah sounds like Sasha. John and Jesse, too. John's a monster? Dad, do you think Jesse's a monster?"

My dad laughed. "I actually didn't notice that until this minute. You're very observant, Sarah. I mean, Sasha."

And with that, he turned back to his book, and I knew that the conversation was over.


End file.
